McDonald was born in New York City, the son of Patricia, a nursing professor and real estate agent, and James McDonald, an educator.[1] He was raised in upstate Romulus, New York, and is a graduate of Hobart College in Geneva, New York, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Society. McDonald is married to Lupe Gidley, and together they are the parents of four children: son Jackson Riley (born December 22, 1990), and daughters, Hannah Elizabeth (born October 20, 1993), Rosie (born 1996), and Ava Catherine (born September 3, 2001). He has five surviving siblings following the death of his younger brother, actor Daniel McDonald (July 30, 1960 – February 15, 2007).